Thaw
by Shipperwolf
Summary: Their relationship for the most part established, Loki struggles with long-buried inherent instincts when he and Jane attempt to transition to the next step. Companion piece to Guardian and its relatives, rated M for adult themes.
1. Cold Shoulders and Confessions

**Finally!**

This _should _be the final companion-fic to the Guardian saga (can it be called a saga?). But you know me...I change my mind every two seconds! ;) I've decided to make it a short multi-chapter.

I do want to mention some things:

**First:** This fic is obviously rated M. So...yeah. Be prepared and such.

**Second:** I have challenged myself with this: Expect to see some of Loki's old darkness resurfacing to small extents, as well as some new...ahem, _instinctive_ behaviors.

**Third:** Despite aforementioned dark sezziness, I will try desperately not to stray too far from the romance I set to establish in the previous installments! )

**And of course:** I own nothing!

Enjoy and please review!

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><p>It had been nearly a month following the news of Thor's fate, and Jane Foster was becoming increasingly uncertain as to her future with the <em>other<em> Asgaardian prince that had settled into her life.

Loki had stayed with them from that night forth, much to her (and of course, Kari's) relief and delight. But not long after the decision had been made, Loki's demeanor had begun to change.

And Jane was beginning to wonder if she was the cause.

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><p>Several days after Fandral's visit, Jane found herself struggling to sleep. Waking up nightly, her first thought would be the noticeable absence in the bed next to her. Loki had remained patient and respectful, it seemed, by returning to his own room to sleep after that first night they had shared in hers.<p>

He had slept next to her once. And she already missed it.

So she had made a bold move one night, reaching out to grasp his elbow in the dark hallway as he made his way to his room.

"Will you….will you come to my bed tonight?"

She had felt Loki freeze in mid-step. She scolded herself for sounding so meek when she truly had no reason to. If he refused, so be it. He had more than impressed her with his gentlemanly behavior anyway.

But he'd turned, eyed her with a gaze that seemed a combination of surprise and apprehension; nodded quietly with a small smile.

And so they had curled into each other, just as before, silent and comfortable and warm; the almost cologne-like spice that clung preternaturally to his skin both lulled and excited her in a way she had not experienced since….

Since before Kari had even been a realistic thought in her mind.

Jane turned to watch him in the darkness, and in the low moonlight, saw him staring at her. Staring _through_ her, as if deep in thought. As if he was completely distracted; no longer with her in the room in any way but physically.

So, breathing deep, she took the initiative (again).

Bid him a quiet "Good night."

And leaned over to press her lips into his.

The results were far different from the last time.

Jane felt her skin prickle as Loki leaned forward immediately, slanting into the kiss with a fervor she had not expected or prepared for. Her eyes slammed shut when met with the intense, almost intimidating look he was giving her in the darkness.

A small sound escaped into the air between them.

Jane realized it was her, moaning weakly.

Heat shot into her gut when a cool tongue ran across her lips. Her head sank into the pillow as the weight of the man above her gently but determinedly coaxed her down.

The kiss changed the moment Loki came to loom over her.

His mouth was suddenly hot, fierce, and desperate, breaking away from hers for only a split moment to inhale before returning to suck in her very breath with a quiet, almost painful-sounding hiss.

Eyes shot open when his hands reached for her face. Jane blinked at him almost helplessly, struggling to comprehend the fact that the hand on her left cheek was blazing warm, while the one stroking long, elegant fingers down her right was frigidly cold.

Dual gasps met her ears and she realized he had licked a slow, seductive trail across her bottom lip. Her voice escaped again with a pitiful, high pitched groan.

And then he stopped.

Leaned back to stare at her in what could only be described as mild shock and restrained lust. His chest heaved and Jane could tell his breaths were almost shuddering as they escaped.

A painful frown tore at her mouth when he abruptly turned away, rolled over and pressed his face into his pillow.

Nothing further occurred between them.

The rest of the night had Jane lying in a state of half-aroused confusion, straining to hear the nearly silent breathing from the man beside her.

She decided not to attempt to scoot closer to him.

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><p>Morning had brought even more uncertainty.<p>

Mostly sleep-deprived, Jane awoke several hours later than normal, the sun having long since rose above the tall forest outside her window. She blinked and turned away from it.

And found Loki watching her blankly.

For several long seconds they lay as such, silent and staring, before Jane finally bit her lip and attempted to reach for him.

Her hand met air.

Loki was gone from her bed in less than a blink.

Jane sighed, defeated. Rolled over again, into the residual warmth left from his body. Inhaled the mouth-watering, muscle-loosening scent on his pillow.

And felt the tears of fear prick at her eyes as she realized he may very well have left completely, disappearing into the vast world beyond her home, not to return for days or months or even years.

Laughter suddenly carried into the room from down the hall.

Scrambling out of the bed, her hallway was a blur as she came to a halt in the den.

Found Loki in his favorite recliner, head cocked to the side as Kari laughed at a Christmas special playing on the television.

He hadn't left.

Her heart stopped sinking into her stomach and she smiled at him.

Jane felt her eyebrows furrow when his green eyes darted toward her briefly, and in them she could see the same blank stare she had awakened to.

He did not express any interest in returning to her bed after that night.

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><p>The holidays now weeks past, Jane had seen little change in Loki's character.<p>

Although the almost dead-like stare had faded and he had taken to giving her small smiles throughout the day, she found she could not get him to have an open conversation with her.

Not like she had in the past few years.

It was as if Loki had kissed her and decided she tasted disgusting and unworthy of his attention.

It was as if the assumption of his feelings for her had been greatly exaggerated, by both herself _and_ Thor.

She somberly wondered if she had pushed Loki Laufeyson too far too fast.

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><p>Jane snapped awake for what had to be the fifteenth time in the past month.<p>

It was a bitingly cold January morning, and snow had once again settled against the windows of the home. Jane thanked Odin himself that her heating unit was state-of-the-art.

Darkness filled the home, and she realized with a frustrated groan that it was early; the sun would not be venturing over the horizon for over an hour and her alarm clock would not go off until nearly an hour after that.

Nevertheless, she was awake.

And from the familiar smell that wafted into her nostrils from the kitchen, so was someone else.

Jane shrugged out from under her blankets and followed the sharp scent.

She found him in the kitchen, leaning against the counter in deep blue sweatpants (sans shirt, she instantly noted), sipping coffee.

That…he had made himself?

Jane blinked, raised her eyes to ceiling to avoid staring at the lean muscles set in his pale torso, and tried to remember when she had showed Loki how to use the coffeemaker.

Her thoughts were disrupted when his voice whispered to her almost shyly.

"It is actually not bad, for my first attempt. Would you like some?"

Returning her gaze to him, she immediately noticed the daytime clothing he had _magically_ changed into. She fought the disappointed feeling in her gut and smiled at him sleepily.

"Sure."

Her smile grew genuine when his lips quirked upward before he turned away to pour her cup.

They sat in silence once again, and Jane found that this time, it was a relatively comfortable one. Loki did not appear utterly disinterested in her presence; on the contrary, he was watching her with a look of curiosity and hope.

Jane shook her head to herself at realizing he probably wanted her opinion on his coffee making skills.

Her lips parted to compliment his first try.

His tongue, quick and likewise hesitant, beat her own.

"It has….been a very long time. I am sorry, Jane. For my behavior."

She craned her head to hear his whisper, the hope in his gaze muddied with a sadness she had not noticed before.

Understanding hit her like an avalanche. She had indeed pushed him too fast, with no knowledge of how long it had been since this immortal being had been involved with anyone of the opposite sex.

But after almost thirteen years, the feel of a man in her bed had just been too much.

Especially considering the fact that…..that she loved him.

Her mouth attempted to open again.

And again, Loki was faster. His hand flew into the air, and for a moment Jane felt the now years-old nervousness that his presence had once brought about in her.

His fingers moved.

A snap sounded in the kitchen.

A short, metallic ring followed a second later.

Jane's eyes were drawn to the countertop, where her toaster-oven had opened and two bagels sat cooling within it.

She grinned when Loki nodded in its direction.

"I almost burned them."

For the first time in almost a month, the two smiled openly at each other.

She fought a strange blush when he moved to set a plate in front of her, and before he could turn away to retrieve something from the fridge, her hand grabbed his wrist. Words tangled her tongue for a moment as he blinked down at her, curious.

"I….I'm sorry too, Loki. It's uh….been awhile for me too."

Her head ducked away from his gaze when one of his eyebrows rose at her.

She chuckled nervously.

"At least _you_ haven't really changed all that much. Apparently Asgaardians are naturally resistant to crow's feet."

She could feel the cool skin of his fingers as Loki moved his hand into hers and leaned down slightly.

Jane felt an old sense of déjà vu at seeing him press his lips into the back of her hand.

His voice was still soft but clear and confident as he spoke.

"Technically, I am not an Asgaardian, if you recall. As far as I know, Jotuns do age, but at a slow pace similar to that of the Aesir."

He paused, and Jane felt his fingers squeeze hers softly.

"It matters not, besides. You are beautiful."

Jane felt heat flush her cheeks against her consent and her eyes were hesitant to meet his as he leaned down.

His kiss was soft and firm at the same time; gentle, and yet confirming.

His mouth held hers for a few seconds and Jane fought the urge to snake her tongue against his lips. Before her body could do something to once again send Loki running away from her, he broke away and kneeled farther down.

She felt her heart thud against the inside of her chest when he came to eye-level with her.

"I love you, Jane Foster."

Words died in her head and she knew her brain had tried to shut down yet again.

A voice in its recesses screamed at her to verbally reciprocate his declaration, but her mouth was numb and her consciousness practically dumbstruck.

But she was certain the broad, ridiculous smile that stretched across her face was enough to assure him. His own smile was gentle and his eyes appeared relieved.

His fingers snapped again, and from the corner of her eye Jane could see that her bagel had appeared on her plate. She also noted that his coffee cup had appeared in his hand, and he sipped at it as if nothing at all had just occurred between them.

She did not turn away to eat her breakfast.

Her head moved forward and she caught his mouth the moment the cup was brought away from it.

The intense flavors of coffee and sugar met her tongue as his own dared to dance with it briefly.

She did not hear the hot liquid in his cup crystallize as his hand clenched it tight.

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><p><strong>AN: Please let me know how you feel so far!**

More intense moments to come. ;)


	2. Frostbite

**Oh my.**

Sorry for the delay guys; school and such (And THOR distracting me with his demand to have another story. Stop being stingy, Thor!)! ;)

I'm so, SO thrilled to see you guys enjoying things. :D I hope this chapter is to your liking.

I know I had a **blast** writing it!

Have fun ^.^

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><p>It was mid-January, the coldest time of the year in Maine. It had stopped snowing, but a thin sheet of ice coated the windows all day and all night.<p>

The home's powerful heating unit had been shut off with a flick of a wrist.

The fan whirred above the bed at top speed, sending soft gusts of cool air around the room.

He was mostly unclothed, lying on top of the blankets in nothing but a pair of black boxers.

And he was burning hot.

Loki snapped his eyes open for the umpteenth time that hour and gazed at the spinning fan on the ceiling. He silently begged for its mercy, for it to somehow become magical and begin whirling ice and snow around his bedroom.

A glance to the window had him considering walking outside to stand in the dark frosty chill of the night.

His skin was on fire.

It prickled, it itched, and the muscles underneath nearly _ached_ with a restlessness he could not pinpoint. A bead of sweat lingered above his left eye, threatening to drip over his brow.

His lips pursed and relaxed, and then drew tight lines as he struggled to calm his phantom state of restless energy down.

Eyes clamped shut, and Loki breathed deep. Concentrated on forming a small block of ice in his hand.

Proceeded to set it directly on his forehead.

It did absolutely nothing to cool him off.

Loki whispered a curse into the air, ripping the ice from his head and throwing it across the room. Another drop of sweat rolled down his neck and he felt as if his skin had been exposed to sunlight for ten endless days.

He had felt this way for the latter half of the day.

Eyes narrowed and cut to the doorway.

He had felt this way since…

Since he had realized he would be spending the entire weekend alone with Jane.

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><p>That morning Loki had awoken to the excited voice of his niece, rushing around the house with her normal, seemingly unending level of energy and joy as she began packing a large travel bag.<p>

He had forgotten that the Starks had invited her to accompany them on a trip, to a place many miles away that their own child ("mini-Tony", as Jane often called him) greatly enjoyed visiting.

He knew little of the place, aside from the fact that it was controlled by a powerful corporation known as "Disney", and had the strange power to lure children to it like moths to a flame.

Loki had watched, amused, as Kari had packed far too many clothes for just a few short days, far too many hair accessories (another consequence of this "pre-teen" stage, he assumed), and more than one set of earphones for her fascinating tiny music player.

It had been sometime after noon that Tony Stark had shown up to fetch the girl.

Loki had met eyes with the man briefly, and was surprised to find that Tony Stark did not appear surprised himself.

He wondered when the Avengers had learned of his permanence in Jane Foster's home. He also considered the possibility that it was only Stark who held this knowledge.

And as the mortal known as Iron Man met his eyes and nodded slightly, Loki found himself respectfully nodding back.

There would be no trouble, it seemed.

At least until the following hour, when Loki's muscles began to burn.

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><p>Heat drifted softly around his feet, swirling around his ankles and making his legs itch and almost sting with the excess temperature.<p>

Loki stared down at the steam that floated from underneath Jane's master bathroom.

The white misty heat licked at his skin and taunted him, practically laughing at his already high level of discomfort. His muscles coiled tight, anticipating something he himself was not yet aware of.

Until he blinked a few times and raised his head to look at the door to the bathroom, a moment of clarity hitting him harder than Mjolnir ever had.

With absolutely no clear realization that he had even been moving, Loki had left his bedroom and slinked down the hallway.

He had let himself into Jane's room without permission, with no knock or warning or even conscious acknowledgement.

And he had come to stand in front of her shut bathroom, and commenced listening to the sounds of running water from within and staring aimlessly into the hot steam that teased him from the other side of the door.

Another rush of heat burned his skin and his hands trembled.

An eye twitched slightly and Loki shut them. He told himself to walk away; leave the room immediately and pretend he had never been there at all. Crawl back into his stifling hot bed and attempt to sleep, or walk outside and sit in the cold field with nothing but Jane's satellites for company.

Eyes flew open as something whispered in his mind.

_No._

Dark, cold, and commanding, the whisper, he realized, was his own. The tone, however, was one he had not used in many, many years.

Since his days of pursuing vengeance.

Since his days of whipping out the Casket and turning living, breathing beings into still, silent statues.

Loki grit his teeth, self-aware concern clashing with the uncontrolled feelings of energy and apprehension and _need_ that flowed through his veins and into the deep recesses of his mind.

Hesitantly, he took a step back, away from the door. Even as he did so his head was shaking, reason and desire arguing violently but silently inside him.

It was just as his nails bit into the palms of his hands that the door suddenly swung open before him, and a body all but ran into his chest with a quiet gasp.

Loki sucked in a tight breath as the scents of soap and fruit and mint assaulted his nose in the best way possible, and as Jane moved to reel back away from him his hands flew forward instinctively, reaching out to take hold of her waist and keep her still.

Fingers flexed against her ferociously as Loki realized they were digging into the cloth of a towel, and the woman in his grasp was still half-damp from bathing.

What reasoning skills he had left were dashed completely as his eyes immediately ran over every inch of exposed skin before him, and suddenly, Loki's throat felt tight and the skin that had before prickled with heat was now blazing feverishly.

Strangely, the hairs on his arms stood up as if he were actually cold.

Loki did not pay this phenomenon any mind as Jane's questioning gaze tore into his own. Small hands had wrapped around his forearms the moment his hands had touched her, and he could feel the residual damp heat of her palms seep into his skin, doing nothing to help ease his bothersome plight.

For a long moment, he and Jane simply stood still in her bedroom, gripping each other haphazardly and staring questioningly and almost daringly into one another's eyes.

Loki attempted to breathe, and found his chest still tight and almost burning along with the rest of him.

It had not been two weeks since his confession to her in the early coffee-scented morning, but he had not pressed her to reciprocate his declaration of love verbally.

And he certainly had not tried to push her into doing so physically.

That had not stopped Jane from making small spontaneous gestures, however, which included random quick kisses during the day and long, languid, shiver-inducing ones at night. The previous night had seen her standing in his bedroom doorway, arms linked around his neck, stealing a quick lick across his bottom jaw before she pecked his cheek and retreated to her own bed.

He had come dangerously close to following her.

And now, with her deep brown eyes narrowing at him slightly in what he recognized as understanding and acceptance, Loki's muscles coiled up to the point of agony and he knew the previous night's interaction had _something_ to do with his current state.

He blinked down at her in silence as she took a step closer to him, their bodies pressing together and the heat it created driving at least one of them mad.

Loki moved a single finger deliberately and both the bedroom and bathroom doors slammed shut at his silent command. He felt Jane jump slightly in his arms at the loud sound, and with his vision unnaturally sharp and almost seeing red, he watched the wood of the door behind Jane intently as he moved her quickly against it.

The woman's back met the door and Loki shivered when her mouth opened in silent awe.

Without warning his head dipped down to capture her parted lips, eliciting a small moan that served well to encourage his tongue to explore. Hands lowering from waist to hips, Loki teased the edge of the towel around her legs with the tips of his fingers, nails scraping the soft skin slightly. Jane jumped again in his hold and he felt her tongue rush against his.

The entire room felt stifling, and Loki was quite certain that if he were mortal, he would have passed out by now from such a long battle with the heat.

He only barely noticed that the woman he had pulled flush against him was shivering slightly.

A groan escaped him when he made the sudden decision to do away with whatever boundaries he had set for himself, and ran his hands past the cloth of the towel altogether to run along smooth, bare skin. He was pleased that Jane did not protest his audacity.

He darkly wondered if he would have cared if she had.

Mouth all but watering, his lips tore from her own and skimmed her cheek slightly as it travelled to the soft flesh of her ear. Loki grinned when she sighed against him and her hands finally left his arms, moving to wrap around his neck and pull him even closer, encouraging him.

He wanted to take things slow; he wanted Jane to know how much she meant to him, and how much he wanted to savor every moment with her.

But whatever had him burning inside and out did nothing to command patience. It fueled desperation. It encouraged aggression.

Loki found himself losing a battle that he could not even comprehend.

His vision blurring and his reason hazy, Loki wasted no more time in driving his tongue as deep into Jane's ear as possible, and nearly laughed at the sound of her shout. His hands stopped shaking and were deliberate now, sliding up to unwrap the cloth from her body and pull it away in one fluid motion.

Lips teased the lobe of her captured ear and hands immediately began to roam like things possessed.

Jane was making soft sounds into his shoulder, arms tightening reflexively around his neck and Loki was simply far too distracted to recognize the continuous shivers from her bare body against him.

His fingers reveled in the soft skin of her belly as they skimmed up and down, enjoying the fluttering muscles of her abdomen as they reacted to his touch. When he moved farther upward to skim teasingly across her breasts, a gasp escaped in the air was accompanied by a single word, ground out between clenched teeth.

"Loki…"

The heat was too much at that point, making him dizzy, disoriented, and so, _so_ desperate.

It had been too long.

Before his threats against Earth.

Before his initial battle with Thor.

Before the coronation.

Months before, he recalled.

_Too long._

A loud shout snapped him to attention, reverberating in his ear. In a sudden moment of clarity, Loki recognized the difference in this particular shout from the previous.

This one was filled with pain.

Eyes widened and Loki stared at the shoulder beneath his lips.

In the same instant his mind registered the taste of blood in his mouth.

Loki's heart raced. His veins ran cold.

A deep shiver ran down his spine when he saw the small dual ribbons of red trickle down from the injured shoulder and across Jane's clavicle.

He had bitten her.

Tongue running along one of the elongated fangs in his mouth, Loki furrowed his brow and was suddenly terrified to move.

Terrified to lean back and look her in the eyes.

See the fear that he knew had to be swimming in them.

His breathing shuddered and Loki pulled his hands away from her body, raising one up to gaze at it in confusion and shame.

The pale blue was just fading from his skin and his teeth were trying to shorten.

The heat was gone from his skin.

His muscles went slack and his head hung low.

Jane was quiet against him, chest heaving slightly. Loki felt her arms loosen from his shoulders and her hands come to rest gently on them.

His own hands fisted at his sides and he remained still, confusion overwhelming him and destroying his ability to speak. Apologies rested on the edge of his blood-tinged tongue, desperate and sorrowful.

He wanted nothing more than to mumble his deepest regrets, disappear from her home altogether, and travel to the farthest ends of the Earth to punish himself with years and years of loneliness.

But instead Loki commanded his hand to move, coming to rest flat against the two tiny puncture marks in her flesh. He was at least somewhat relieved to find he had not bitten deeply, his fangs sinking in just enough to break skin and draw blood.

His hand felt numb even as he summoned magic into it, pressing his energy and will into the open holes and causing them to scab over and heal in a matter of seconds.

All the while, the woman against him was still and silent, her head dipped slightly and forehead resting in the crook of his neck.

Loki wondered if she had not moved or spoken because she was afraid to.

He was quite certain he deserved any fury she may throw at him, and he would welcome it readily.

But he could not fathom the thought of her fear.

He felt sick at the very notion.

Lips parted as he finished mending her injury.

A soft sigh escaped him before his whisper flowed off his tongue.

"Jane….I….I'm…."

Loki cursed under his breath.

He could not even _apologize _properly.

He watched as Jane raised her head to meet his eyes, and he felt his gut clench at the single tear resting at the edge of one of her own. He read no fear in them, however, and whatever anger he had been expecting seemed absent.

Jane's arms returned to their positions around his neck and he felt her pull him against her, silently encouraging an embrace that he felt to be a signal of her forgiveness.

Forgiveness he truly felt he did not deserve.

His hands ran across her back absently as they held each other. He bit his lip upon finding small indentions, left behind from his own sharpened fingernails.

Loki shook his head to himself and attempted to find his voice again, a true apology on the forefront of his mind.

Jane's lips at his ear stopped him.

"It's okay, Loki. It's okay. Please don't go. Don't run."

_Don't run._

Something shot down his spine and Loki turned his head to look at her.

Read the underlying message in her gaze as their eyes met.

Don't go.

Stay.

_Don't stop._

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><p><strong>Reviews make me bubbly.<strong>

**I can haz bubbles?**


	3. Chaos Control

**Sorry for the wait my friends!**

Here is more L/J sezziness to make up for it. ^.^

I hope you all enjoy!

See my continued ramblings in the Endnotes?

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><p>He was quite certain he had used magic, but the normal level of control he had over such things had suffered as a result of his own desperation, and he found he could not exactly recall the moment he had transported them from one side of the room to the other.<p>

All Loki knew was that he was once again feverishly hot; the naked, smooth skin of the waist his hands were currently gripping tight was equally so, and both their blazing bodies were sinking into the mattress of Jane's bed.

A quick beating sensation thrummed beneath his fingers, and Loki blinked as he realized his hands were wrapped around her wrists, pressing her down into the sheets. Something whispered in the forefront of his mind- loud enough for him recognize it as rationality- to ease his grip lest he begin bruising her.

But as Jane's wide eyes glazed over and narrowed at him in a manner he had never seen prior to that moment, he _knew_ that whisper could very well be the last piece of fully coherent thought he would experience that night.

Loki froze, looming over her and watching her bare chest heave and her arms jerk slightly as she flexed against his restraining hands.

His eyes grew dark and half-lidded, his vision tunneling slightly as the sight of her underneath him had his mouth suddenly watering. His gaze roamed, taking note of the fact that despite over a decade of aging, Jane's skin was still mostly unblemished, mostly unwrinkled, and softer than anything he had ever known. Her stomach muscles twitched without any encouragement, giving away her nervousness and sensitivity. Lips, still swollen from his kiss, were parted as she breathed silently through them, soft pants reaching his ears every few seconds and attempting to ignite that deep, dark something inside of him that he could neither understand nor control.

Eyes flew shut and he tried to gather enough real thought to push away the feeling that threatened to overwhelm him.

It was something he did not fully understand (although, if he were honest with himself, he truly had no _way_ of understanding something that had been kept from him for most of his life), and such a lack of knowledge had him nervous when it came to his current situation.

Loki knew enough to realize that the chaotic energy flooding his veins and shooting the searing heat into his skin was connected in some manner to what he was….

As the darkness of his eyelids welcomed him, he could hear it, answering the silent question in his head with a deep, cold whisper:

_Jotun._

His teeth ground together as he felt the fangs attempt to lengthen again.

The word echoed in his mind and sought to torment him. It distracted him enough for him to miss the fact that hot breath had come to blow across his tensing face.

"Loki."

The whisper went silent, willed away by the soft voice of the woman beneath him. Loki opened his eyes, and was met with shining brown orbs that ran over his face as he looked into them.

He watched as they creased in obvious concern.

Her wrists jerked against his hands and he absently released them.

Loki swallowed as Jane reached up to run a soft hand across his jaw, her fingers almost feeling cool against the heat of his skin. He looked at her as she studied her own movements, her pupils dilating just slightly as they followed her fingertips across his cheek.

His breath shuddered and he instinctively dipped his head to the side, pressing his face into her palm and practically _nuzzling_ it. His teeth ached and he felt every muscle in his body twitch at once.

Eyes narrowed at her gentle smile, and Loki could not bring himself to tell her that his entire body was ablaze and impatient; that he was fighting himself with every second that passed.

That by the end of the night, he could very well leave her bleeding again….

Loki tasted skin and heard a gasp. His vision sharpened and he realized he had licked her palm.

Time stopped when he felt her free hand land at the edge of his boxers, fingering the material hesitantly.

Reaching up, his fingers slid around her own and he held her hand at his face, over his mouth. Loki watched her closely, his world encapsulated into the singular existence of the woman he had pinned to the bed. Her wide, surprised eyes stirred something in him, and he found he could not fight the wicked grin that cleaved its way across his face.

His tongue darted out, lashing against her palm.

He watched as her lips parted in another quiet gasp and he held his tongue in place for a moment, waiting for her body to relax slightly before he moved to trail it upwards.

Loki felt the sharp edges of his fangs again, pressing against his bottom lip as he licked a hot path up Jane's middle finger, stopping to press a suggestive kiss at its tip.

His gut clenched as her eyes fixated on his mouth's movements, and it was not until he felt a slight prick that he realized one of his fangs had sunk into the flesh of his own lip.

He ignored the sting of pain at first….

Until Jane's mouth closed upon the tiny wound and sucked.

Something low and deep erupted suddenly into the room, chilling the air around them, and setting his skin on fire simultaneously.

It sounded very much like a growl.

Tearing from his throat like something from the deepest Midgaardian jungle, the rumble vibrated in his head and nearly startled him into clarity.

Jane's mouth pulled against his injured lip once, slowly. He felt the tip of her tongue settle against the tiny prick and lick away what remained of the blood.

Clarity faded altogether, submitting to chaos and bowing in respect as it did so.

"_Dammit_." His voice slid out in another growl, and he wasn't entirely sure as to why he was cursing.

And honestly, he really did not care.

His lips caught hers as she tried to pull away, forcing a whimper from her throat and bringing a satisfied hum of agreement from his own. Loki drove the two of them down again, Jane's head sinking into the pillow as he forced his mouth harder against hers. He smiled amidst a kiss as he realized she was meeting his ferocity rather than submitting to it.

A distant growl reverberated in his head again and he suddenly sought to _make _her submit.

Teeth nipped at her lips, and Loki was careful to watch where his longer fangs landed. He could feel Jane's boldness wane under the weight of his control, her fierce kisses slowing slightly and growing gentler.

Loki chuckled behind a bite to her top lip.

Jane's tongue lashed out suddenly against one of his fangs.

He could feel her mouth curve into a small smile and her hands played with the waistband of his boxers again.

Apparently he had underestimated her….and he could not bring himself to complain.

Loki's jaw locked and his eyes bore into her own, noting the intensity of her gaze and shuddering at the sight of it.

Jane's fingers strayed across the front of his now too-tight undergarment, and he could feel her breath blow over his face as she gasped slightly at the feel of him beneath it. He groaned openly and his hips jerked of their own accord.

He felt her palm settle against him and he buried his face into her shoulder as her hand began to move in the slightest rhythm. Saliva pooled into the back of his mouth and he brought his hands to her face as he licked a wet trail up her neck, his head swimming as the pressure of Jane's teasing hand drove his lust to its peak.

A small sound tore from him when the hand suddenly pulled away, and he instinctively nipped at the skin of her neck in hopes of persuading her to return it.

Warmth crept up his spine when he felt her fingers sneak their way into his boxers, wasting no time in settling against the length of him. His eyes shot open and he stared at the skin of her throat as her small hand wrapped around him and squeezed slightly.

A mumble escaped his lips and he could not comprehend his own words.

His tone was pleading, however, and it was only then that he realized just how desperate he had become.

For her part, Jane had begun to writhe beneath him slightly, her hand moving in a tantalizing dance around him. Her mouth was open, her breaths ragged and moans seductive and Loki decided that while her teasing was certainly fun, it was not enough to ease the itch of his skin or silence the dark growl in his mind.

He stopped his slow grinding against her hand and raised his own to snap his fingers.

Fangs pricked at his lips as he smiled when Jane jerked beneath him, her eyes trailing down as she realized his boxers had completely disappeared.

Her hand had frozen and she simply stared, suddenly uncertain.

Loki felt another wicked grin plaster his face at her obvious derailment.

He paid no mind to the deep, almost dangerous tone his voice had taken as it passed through chilly lips:

"My turn."

His head dipped, his hands gripped, and Loki reveled in the shiver of Jane's body as he dug his nails into one of her thighs and licked his way across her stomach. The muscles quivered beneath his tongue and he brought his free hand to play with her chest, his old friend Mischief coming out of hiding in the dark recesses of his mind.

Fingers strayed across the nipple of one of her breasts.

Jane sighed in silence.

Loki summoned ice to his fingertips and froze the bud beneath them to send Jane's body jerking into the air with a small shout.

He laughed despite himself.

The glare she sent his way did nothing to stifle his mischievous mood.

Jane had teased him…

She deserved his vengeance.

He chuckled and smiled up at her darkly.

"My apologies, dear one. Allow me to remedy my folly."

In an instant his mouth clamped over the cold flesh, melting the thin sheet of ice and sending Jane's body into a flurry of movement. Her hands dove into the mess of his hair, pulling at it slightly and coaxing him to suck at her breast harder.

He willingly obliged.

Her head had thrashed backward into her pillow, and if not for the fun he was having with her breast he would have found her exposed throat very inviting. He moaned into the skin beneath his lips, his tongue playing at her fiercely and eliciting more sudden, uncontrolled jerks from her body.

Loki heard the breath in Jane's body catch suddenly, and he released the mound of flesh the moment he felt one of his fangs drive into it.

Eyes narrowed and focused on the dab of red by her nipple.

Just as his hand moved to heal the tiny wound a smaller one gripped the back of his head and forced it down.

Loki's eyes widened as the taste of blood met his tongue and he realized Jane did not care in the least that he had bitten her again.

On the contrary; she seemed to have been excited by it.

His tongue licking away the blood on her breast, he brought his salt-stained lips crashing into her own, his hand returning to its position on her thigh.

His eyes were slits as he looked down at her, and the cloudy brown of her eyes was evidence of her need for him. Hips rocked against his and he felt the heat tear across his skin again.

Loki ran his free hand beneath her head, tangling his fingers into her damp hair and grasping it.

He pulled slightly.

Watched as Jane chewed at her bottom lip and meet his eyes with a look of desperate defeat. He had already brought himself into position, the heat of her practically taunting him.

She jerked beneath him as he met her entrance just barely.

Eyes- wide and full of need- darted down and then up, pleading with him.

Her hands were in his hair and he felt her tug at it.

"Loki…."

He blinked down at her, a smile creeping across his lips as he hovered over her heat and watched her writhe pitifully under him.

"Dearest, what is it?"

When had his voice become so icy?

He felt Jane buck against him aggressively.

"Loki, _please_."

Something slammed its way into the deepest, most primitive part of his consciousness the moment her desperate voice slid into his ears. He felt it settle there and fester, dark and cold and hot and wild all at the same time….

Unrestrained.

Welcomed.

Loki hissed as he jerked upwards, his nails digging into the soft cream of her thigh as he entered her. Warmth engulfed him and he felt his eyes slide shut, a groan of appreciation and victory escaping him and drowning out Jane's soft gasp altogether.

Fire swam over his body, culminating around his lower half and commanding him to move.

An experimental jerk of his hips sent every nerve into a frenzy, and the hand in Jane's hair tightened as he bent down to bury his face in the heated flesh of her throat.

Jane bucked against him in response, a soft sound ripping from her and making him smile into her skin. He pulled at her hair enough to coax her head back further, and he brought his mouth to settle against the quick strum of her pulse.

Loki pressed a kiss into the beating flesh, growling against it.

His whisper was a merciful warning...

And a wicked promise.

"Hold on."

* * *

><p><strong>Yes. I <em>DID<em> just end the chapter there. *Loki-esque sadistic cackle***

Seriously though...please don't hate me. There is a purpose to my godawful cliffhanger. Somewhere.


	4. Melt

**Heya guys!**

So sorry for the delay (I _promise_ I didn't do it on purpose) *insert evil cackle here*! ;)

Here is the final chapter. Sorry if it's a bit short!

**Important Warnings:**

1: Sex. Obviously.

2: **Jotun** sex. Yeah, you read that right. Have fun!

I hope everyone is happy with the finality of the Guardian series ^.^ And thanks to all of you for following along!

* * *

><p>Her shout reverberated into the air around them when Loki slammed forward, his hips driving against hers mercilessly.<p>

It was in that moment that Jane felt her courage fail into submission, Loki's warning a dark mantra in her ears and she suddenly could do nothing more than obey, wrapping her arms around his neck and locking a hand across the opposite wrist.

The fingers fisted in her hair splayed out and threaded through it, twirling about slightly and tugging as he moved against her. The cool hand on her hip moved up her body, and she shivered in spite of the heat in the room. His fingers were turning blue as they drew thin lines of ice up her stomach.

The dark hue crept up his arm and across his shoulder slowly.

A jerk against her sent heat pooling into her and she met his gaze as his head lifted from its home against her neck.

The green of his eyes were swirling with a purplish-red, the bright, blood-like shade she knew to be his natural eye color fighting to consume his irises.

Jane felt the roaming hand slip underneath one of her arms, coming to wrap around a shoulder. Cold fingers curled around the bone and gripped. She watched him stare narrowly down at her, the red finally conquering his eyes and turning them into windows to hell.

Any other woman would have felt fear.

Any other woman would have screamed for help.

Any other woman would have at least closed her eyes to avoid looking at him.

Jane merely met his inhuman gaze, tightened her grip around him, and thrust her hips against his as they came down hard.

She had accepted him like this, and she wanted him to know it.

And as Loki slammed those demonic eyes shut and groaned through another swift thrust, she knew her message had gotten through.

Jane leaned forward, pulling him closer to her. His skin grew colder with every shift of his hips; the blue flashed across his chest as it chased more of the familiar white away with every passing second.

His hair fell into her face as he hovered over her, and she felt her mouth water at the expressions on his face. His red eyes were slits, the dark brows above them furrowed as he fought to control himself. The deep color of his Jotun form slid past his throat and onto his chin, and the telltale black pattern on his forehead began to appear.

She reached up to touch it…

And found her wrists suddenly pinned above her head by the hand that, the last time she had noticed, had been playing with her hair.

Her arms tingled and she felt the chill bumps rise on them, reacting to the cold of his skin. He leered above her, his mouth open and fangs visible, standing out against the deep blue like porcelain.

Jane shifted then, moving to wrap her legs tight around his waist and pulling him deeper into her. She watched him blink slowly, heard him hiss….

Felt, for just a moment, that strange sense of pride as she fought his obvious attempts at domination….

She made the mistake of chuckling quietly.

The hand around her wrists tightened and grew almost painfully cold. Loki drove sharply into her, and for the first time since he had backed her against her bathroom door, the full weight of his truth settled into her mind.

Loki was not human. And he was not Asgaardian, either.

Hot breath clashed with the chill of his lips when they bent down to her ear. A scorching tongue lashed out, driving into it and sending her body into chaos, a low keen emitting from her throat. She could feel those cold lips pull into a smile against her ear.

"Submit, Jane."

Jane heard the whisper, knew what he had said, but could not quite….

_Jotun. Not human. Not Aesir._

She gasped when he drove even deeper, just once, just to make a point. He held her there, suspended in the full feeling of having him settled and seated as far as she could allow, and his breaths against the side of her face grew rapid and sharp.

"_Relent._"

The truth, she realized, was that Loki had been without this for as long she, and possibly longer. The truth was that despite everything they had been through over the years, he was still an alien sorcerer with another side to him that he seemed to keep buried and quiet.

The truth was that combing these two facts had consequently destroyed them both, unlocking that dark something inside him and bringing it back into reality, if only for this moment…

She felt herself clench around him in a natural attempt to pull him even deeper. She was met with a low grunt and a sharp jerk against her inner walls, sending her head flying back into the pillow and resulting in a satisfied chuckle from her Jotun lover.

She heard him sigh softly then, his voice soft and yet strained.

"Jane…"

He still held her in place, by both hands and hips, as if trying to keep her at the edge as long as possible to extend her torment. The sharp need for release teased and taunted her and she grew frustrated then, understanding his tactics, accepting this shift in his personality, and still finding her mind a blur of desperation and confusion.

"What?" She was surprised at her own voice, responding to him without full recognition of what he had even said.

Her eyes had slid closed as Loki held her at the brink.

"I love you."

They snapped open to find him watching her intently, tinges of green churning around his pupils and his jaw set tight.

As she fought the intense build of pressure between their bodies, Jane blinked past the fog in her head and leaned forward to capture his lips. Cold clashed with heat and she melted into the pure _talent_ that was Loki's mouth.

She smiled at him and watched the dancing colors of his eyes.

"I love you too, Loki."

_Now please stop torturing me…_

Red swirled back into piercing orbs and Loki chuckled with a renewed darkness. It only confirmed her now years-long suspicion that he could actually hear her thoughts.

She felt him release her hands then, moving to slide one down to wrap beneath a hip and lifting it to change his angle. He leaned forward, looming over her, his breath wet and hot in her face. Jane sighed into his mouth as he kissed her.

And finally moved, pulling away from her aching channel slowly, before rushing forward to slam back into her with broken growl against her mouth. His name escaped her lips with a high-pitched wail, so above anything she had heard from herself before that it almost seemed inhuman.

She felt it then, as he drew back and pushed forward and repeated the action harder and faster with every thrust…

The final, rapid build of pressure, a threatening torrent of sweet agony that could not compare to any other feeling in the world. Her breathing was coming out in pants, and she tried to find her voice, to attempt to tell him of her impending orgasm but…

"I _know_, dearest. Now do it."

Jane found herself drowning in the green-red slurry of Loki's eyes before white heat blinded her completely, a final jolt deep into her hitting that perfect spot just right and sending every fiber of her being, every nerve and every muscle singing with pain and pleasure and joy. Her voice eluded her completely, his name on her lips silenced by the overwhelming finality of it…

Her clenched eyes opened just in time to see his multicolored ones narrowing at her, fangs biting into his bottom lip as he jerked into her once more and groaned low in his completion.

Jane sighed at the slow pulse of his body spending into hers, and she felt him shiver against her he leaned down to press his forehead into the crook of her neck. An exhausted silence permeated the air around them. Reaching up, she wove her fingers into the silken strands of black hair at the base of his neck and held him to her, eyes flitting open and closed and back again as the feel of his labored breathing against her chest threatened to lull her quickly into sleep.

* * *

><p>Despite the chill that lingered on Loki's skin, Jane lay rather comfortably for several long minutes as they both gathered their strength.<p>

Shifting beneath him slightly, she bent her back a bit and felt it pop. A laugh escaped her and she shook her head at herself. The black mess of hair moved against her throat and Loki lifted his head to peer curiously at her.

"What are you laughing at?"

His voice held no suspicion (because truly, she didn't want him to think she was laughing at his obvious exhaustion), and she reached up to finger the shadows of his fading Jotun markings.

"I'm getting old. Did you hear that pop?"

She ran a thumb across the stain of blood on his abused bottom lip and he smiled at her before lifting himself up into a sitting position on her waist.

Jane blinked at him as he proceeded to crack his neck unceremoniously.

He smirked at her and she chuckled. Not thirty minutes after he all but mercilessly ravished her, and Loki Laufeyson was making too-obvious attempts to be sweet.

She watched quietly as the blue of his skin grew lighter with every moment that passed, finally fading altogether along with the red of his eyes. She felt his weight shift and he rolled off of her then, coming to curl against her and pull her sweat-slickened body into the curve of his own.

A blush heated her cheeks inexplicably.

"I need another bath."

A soft, content hum in her ear signaled his acknowledgement. She felt his muscles coil slightly behind her.

"May I join you?"

Jane smiled.

It was going to be a long (wonderful) weekend.

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><p><strong>Annnddd Done! <strong>Although I very slightly regret not writing more of Kari. But, I feel it's time to move past this little series. Again, thanks a million to everyone who has read! It's awesome on a ridiculous level, how great you guys are. ^.^ Love to hear from you, please review and let me know how you feel!


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